


Hyphenated

by indigorose50



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Black Eagles Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26582236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigorose50/pseuds/indigorose50
Summary: [“What did you say?” Hubert asked, voice devoid of emotion.“If you married me, you could help with matters concerning Aegir territory,” Ferdinand went on, tapping the papers before him for emphasis.]
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 34
Kudos: 250





	Hyphenated

**Author's Note:**

> I was coming up with non-traditional proposals and this conversation was just too good to not fic. Been working on a real long story for this pair so it felt good to write something short and nice! Hope you enjoy these two!

Truly, Ferdinand was grateful to have Aegir territory reinstated. He was even more grateful that Edelgard had granted him the land instead of Ferdinand having to fight her for it. A gift, she had said, for all his work smoothing over things after the war ended. He was glad to have proven himself to the Emperor.

It was the  _ act _ of reinstating Aegir territory, however, that was currently causing Ferdinand no small amount of grief. 

“... and then this pile needs your initials. The rest will have to wait until the surveyors we sent out last month return.” Hubert handed Ferdinand yet another stack of papers. Ferdinand held in a sigh and took them, placing them neatly on his desk beside the other dozen stacks Hubert had given him over the past two days. Seeing this, Hubert frowned. “You haven’t made much progress. I thought you wanted nothing more than for your family home to be returned to you?”

“You thought correct,” Ferdinand said, inking his quill and starting on the oldest pile. “But I cannot put my personal affairs before the rest of the Empire’s. I have many other reports to look over, not to mention my ongoing quest to help Edelgard with the Free Education Act.”

Hubert picked up the latest draft of said act and thumbed through it. “Have you ever considered you are taking on too much at once?”

Ferdinand set a freshly signed page aside. “No such thing.”

“Your work will suffer if you spread yourself too thin.”

“I have little choice.”

“You could delegate.” 

Ferdinand shook his head. “There are few people I trust with these matters and even fewer who are free to lend a hand.”

“Do you trust  _ me _ ?”

“Yes.”

The immediacy of the answer surprised them both— if Hubert’s raised eyebrows were anything to go by. But it was the truth. Ferdinand often thought of Hubert as his opposite in every way but at the end of the day, he would put his life in Hubert’s hands without hesitation. A few reports were trivial in the face of that fact.

Ignoring any awkward air that answer may have let into the office, Ferdinand cleared his throat. “I doubt you are free to pick up after me, and even if you were I cannot imagine you would want to spend any free time doing  _ more _ work.”

Hubert hummed thoughtfully and moved around Ferdinand’s desk. He dragged over a wooden armchair and sat across from Ferdinand, stealing a quill and ink pot. “Hand me the reports.”

“You cannot be serious.” 

“You’re right, I am famed in the palace for my sense of humor.” Hubert held out his hand. “Reports.” Taken aback, Ferdinand gathered the relevant piles and handed them over. Hubert took them, pushed aside a few trinkets that had made their home on Ferdinand’s desk, and set to reading.

Ferdinand watched him for a moment. Of course they had worked side by side like this before; as the right and left hand of Edelgard they’d had to cooperate quite a lot this past year. Usually it was on a shared table in the palace library, however, or the spare meeting table in Edelgard’s study. And it was never teaming up to get one person’s work done. 

A disapproving gaze shot through Ferdinand’s confusion. “I am meant to help,” Hubert said. “Not entertain.”

“Right, yes, apologies.” Ferdinand bent over his own pile. It took a surprisingly short time to adjust to the idea that Hubert was aiding him. It was comforting, actually, just sitting in silence and signing documents, occasionally stealing a glance up and seeing Hubert doing the same. 

Neither spoke or moved for a long time. Ferdinand was on his third pile of Aegir territory papers— something about the farmland that would be sectioned off for his family’s use alone and honestly, it sounded like far too much since it was just himself and his mother now— when he stopped to stretch briefly. 

Now he did let out that sigh. Six more stacks of papers to go, and that was just from today’s workload. Tomorrow would bring more and when the surveyors returned a fresh wave would begin. Ferdinand ran a hand down his face, belatedly hoping his fingers weren’t stained with ink that would now smear in his cheeks. “Hubert, will you marry me?”

Ferdinand had not fully appreciated the sounds that had filled the office until that moment— the scratch of Hubert’s quill, his steady breathing, the subtle creaks of the chair when Hubert shifted to reach for more ink. Suddenly the office was overly quiet as all of that stopped. Hubert simply stared at Ferdinand from under dark bangs, hand frozen on the latest document that apparently needed heavy revisions. “What did you say?” Hubert asked, voice devoid of emotion.

“If you married me, you could help with matters concerning Aegir territory,” Ferdinand went on, tapping the papers before him for emphasis. “Of course all of these topics are important but not many of them would normally require my personal attention. It is only because I alone have the authority to sign off on these that I have to read every single one.” He shrugged. “But, if you were to marry me, your signature would  _ also _ be valid.”

“I see.” Hubert set aside his quill and folded his hands under his chin. Any shock from before was gone, replaced with a wry smile. “That would gratefully benefit you, of course, but what would  _ I _ get out of such a match?”

Ferdinand leaned back from the desk and crossed his arms, thinking it over. “Well, you would be entitled to Aegir land, once it is officially reinstated. In the short term you would get access to my wealth and the respect my name carries. This is assuming we would hyphenate our names, as both have weight the continent over.”

Hubert huffed in amusement. “It would make the most sense. Though it might take some time to get used to writing Hubert von Aegir-Vestra. I hope you can forgive any slip up on my part.”

“Ah, then you agree my name should come first?”

“It’s the obvious choice. Vestra ends with a different A sound than Aegir starts with. Putting Vestra first would play tricks on the tongue.”

Ferdinand blinked. “That is… rather well reasoned.”

“As I said, it is the obvious choice,” Hubert repeated casually. “So, that’s three things  _ I _ would get from marrying you. Apart from helping with further paperwork, what else do you receive? I remind you House Vestra had no land. Although…” A hand went to Hubert’s chin as he seemed to recall something. “I believe we have a vacation home to the west of Enbarr. By the water.”

“Then that is one thing I would gain!” Ferdinand grinned wide. “I do so enjoy the ocean! Perhaps we could wed there.”

Hubert chuckled. “That would be quite the production! I was under the impression you wanted this done quickly to assist with signing.”

“Good point. Very well. We shall honeymoon there, then. As for immediate benefits…” Ferdinand hooked a finger around a lock of his hair, fiddling with it as he looked at Hubert for ideas. One jumped to mind right away though it may not be equal to monetary gain or notoriety. “For one thing,” Ferdinand began slowly, “being married would, traditionally, mean we would share a bed. I know I would rest easier knowing you were at my side. Safe as the palace is in peacetime, I confess I have trouble allaying old fears some nights.”

There was that silence again. Ferdinand did not take his eyes off Hubert, still twisting his hair, chest suddenly tight. Across the desk, Hubert’s amusement seemed to fade, eyes staring at or possibly  _ through _ Ferdinand. All Ferdinand could think to do was stare back. The weight of his off-hand question was beginning to rest on him. He wished it wouldn’t.

“Yet another benefit,” Ferdinand went on, ignoring the slight tremor at the start of his sentence, “would be access to your personal library. There are quite a few volumes I expect you possess that I would like to look through.” 

“Indeed,” Hubert said slowly. 

Ferdinand waited for him to say something else but nothing was forthcoming. He cleared his throat again and sat forward in his chair, picking up his quill. “This is all assuming we could cooperate long enough for a wedding. We both have such strong opinions I doubt we could easily agree on any aspect.”

“Yes,” Hubert agreed, the light tone back in his voice. “You would probably not wish for me to wear black, for a start.”

“Would one day of color kill you?”

“Best not to risk it.”

“You would likely not be enthusiastic about testing cake. I imagine you fighting me on having a cake at all.”

“Cakes are traditional but that does not make them necessary.”

Ferdinand shuffled the papers in front of him to set the oldest forms on top. He shook his head with a dramatic sigh. “That settles it. We could never be together. Our differences are too great after all.”

“I’m sorry your plan to split your work more evenly is set to fail.” Hubert’s tone was playful as he re-inked his own quill and made a few marks on the paper before him. “I will say, these are the types of things that would get ironed out if you hadn’t bypassed a crucial step.”

Ferdinand made a show of hitting his forehead. “Courtship! How silly of me. I was too hasty, Hubert, could you ever forgive me?”

Hubert hummed, looking up at Ferdinand as if it was a question warranting deep consideration. “I believe I can look past it this time. Perhaps, after that pile, you could make it up to me with a tea break.”

That tightness was back in Ferdinand’s chest but a smile spread across his face. “Only if you allow me to brew you some coffee.”

“I assume that is implied at this point.” His small smile in return put a skip in Ferdinand’s heartbeat. 

The pair set back to work. Ferdinand’s hand had hardly moved so fast. Initial here, signature there, dot the I’s, cross the T’s— and done! Ferdinand set down his quill and looked to Hubert with triumph.

What he found was Hubert, long finished with his work, observing Ferdinand with a stoic expression. That was not unhappiness in his features, merely thoughtfulness. Hubert’s mind was constantly at work so it was not an unusual face to make. It was just strange to be the subject of such a look. Ferdinand felt his own face heating up as he held the gaze, never one to back down from a challenge. 

After a moment, Hubert smirked and stood, his chair sliding soundlessly across the rug. He bowed to Ferdinand. “Would you do me the honor of tea and coffee in the gardens?”

Ferdinand got to his feet and bowed back. “The honor would be all mine.”

The two straightened, paused a moment, and broke into laughter. They left their work behind and made their way to the door, chuckling and thanking the other for so  _ generously _ accepting the invitation. 

As they walked out into the hallway, Ferdinand frowned. “Ferdinand von Vestra-Aegir,” he mused aloud. He shook his head. “You are right. It is much better the other way around.”

“I’m insulted you doubted me,” Hubert said without malice. His arm brushed against Ferdinand’s for a brief moment. “Ferdinand von Aegir-Vestra sounds lovely in comparison.”

Ferdinand could not get his smile to go away. The tightness in his chest made him feel giddy, far from the anxiety that had gripped him when it had first settled there. “It does indeed.” He led them around the corner, hand resting a breath too long on Hubert’s to indicate the direction. “It sounds almost as lovely as Hubert von Aegir-Vestra.”

“I quite agree.” Late afternoon sun enveloped them as Hubert opened the door at the end of the hall. The light softened Hubert’s features and made his smile more pronounced. Ferdinand moved past him into the gardens, close enough that he could just hear, “One could get used to hearing such a name.”


End file.
